Evacuation exercise turns into scuffle at Kasoa

Traders close to the main Kasoa traffic intersection last Thursday protested attempts to move them to make way for the construction of the 24-kilometre western by-pass project at Kasoa.

The development degenerated into a scuffle between a group of men who claimed they were members of a task force formed by the Urban Council popularly known as Abayie and some angry traders.

At about 10 a.m. last Saturday, the Abayie who were in mufti, ordered the traders not to display their wares on the pavements but the traders defied the orders.

Subsequently the men prevented the traders by overturning their tables and wares which had been displayed on the pavements, breaking the wooden structures in the process.

Exchange of words between the angry traders and members of the task force degenerated into a scuffle.

Concerns

According to one of the affected traders, Edward Osei Bonsu, they were not given enough notice about the exercise.

Another victim who sells cosmetics, Helena Aggrey, a mother of three, said the evacuation would affect her financially.

“This is what I do to take care of my children; now I do not know where to go. They should have relocated us to an alternative place to carry out our business activities, “she said.

Association

The chairman of the Kasoa Petty Traders Association, Mr John Baafi Frimpong, debunked the claims by the traders, indicating that members were duly informed about the exercise.

He, however, noted that some of the traders had taken the notice for granted, since the deadline was overdue.

According to him, some of them had even moved away from the area shortly after the notice was served but only returned later when they realised work had not begun.

Response

The Public Relations Officer for the interchange project,  Mr Amadu Tuariq, told the Daily Graphic that a series of sensitisation programmes had been organised for all stakeholders.

They included landlords, property and shop owners and petty traders.

Project

The $172 million by-pass project which starts from the old barrier at Bortianor junction on the Mallam-Kasoa road, cuts through Kokrobite to link the Accra-Winneba road.

The project, which is an alternative to the traffic challenges in Ewutu-Senya East is expected to help people living in Kasoa and its environs to move from Kasoa without using the Kasoa main road.

Approved by Parliament in October 2014, the project comprises the construction of a flyover, a new roundabout, drainage and public lighting, a 33-kilometre Amasaman to Kasoa road, 20 kilometres of roads in the Ga South municipality and Kasoa.